Flight
by Lomihahamech
Summary: What would have happened if Skywise had talked to Tyldak of his dreams of the stars?... to fly?


Skywise closed his eyes, and breathed a silent sigh. The cool breeze filtered under his outstretched arms, through his snow-white hair. It felt so good. Her silent arms wrapped around the weary elf, and gave him a gentle shove forward.  
  
~**Mind that fist step, Wolfling.**~ Skywise opened his tear drenched eyes, and turned to identify the smooth, seemingly sinister lock send. He brought his eyes over the elf, blue skinned, black haired,  
  
winged.  
  
~**Hello, Tyldak.**~ He locksent as a whisper.  
  
~**What do you think you're doing, Wolfling?**~ Tyldak's dark eyebrows etched together. The young wolf creature was leaning nearer to the end of the cliff. When Tyldak had first spotted him, his tiny arms were oustretched, his boot tips nearly dangling off the drop.  
  
~**Thinking..**~ Skywise sent hoarsly, turning.  
  
~**You have a very unusual way of thinking.**~ The speckled shadows dripped off of the once glider's impressive form as he gently stepped forward to join Skywise at the cliff's drop. ~**It's not all it's talked up to be, Wolfling..**~ Tyldak sent softly. He watched the elf's tear stained face frown at it. Tyldak's heart leapt as he met the stargazer's big eyes.  
  
~**How can you say that Tyldak? Dewshine showed me how you were, chained in Winnowill's shadow.**~ Tyldak turned his head. The send was heartfelt, desperate. ~**'To live is to fly. If I cannot fly, I cannot live.' Didn't you say that?**~  
  
~**Something to that effect.**~ Tears once more dampened Skywise's eyes at Tyldak's curt send.  
  
~**What I wouldn't pay to have wings... my soul.. pain is no matter..**~ Skywise stopped his send as Tyldak turned in a huffed breeze. He flinched, and tensed as he felt Tyldak's cold fingers clamp onto his small shoulders.  
  
~**You do not know what that means!**~ Skywise closed his eyes against Tyldak's painful, angry send.  
  
~**Then tell me, Tyldak! Why? Why!?**~ Skywise's eyes burned into Tyldak's soul, just like his send.  
  
~**Why! Why?!**~  
  
"Uuuuh.." Skywise gasped, and tried to bring his hands up to cover his ears, not that it would block Tyldak's agonizing sends, but he was in so much pain he wasn't thinking straight. "Tyldak.."  
  
~**I'll show you why!**~ Tyldak pushed his cold forehead up to Skywise's.  
  
The wolfrider was hit with images, emotions:  
  
Tyldak, a glider. It wasn't enough to ride his giant bird-mount, or that simply by using his mind he could float in mid-air,  
  
to fly free..  
  
Fly free.  
  
Winnowill!  
  
The name dug itself into Skywise's every thought.  
  
The dark one, she could do it! She could give him wings!  
  
Flight!  
  
Pain!  
  
"Ahhh.." Skywise felt his legs give out, and fell. Tyldak fell with him, hands still clamped onto his shoulders.  
  
His fingers were being pulled, his skin burnt against his bones, muscles as the dark one stretched it out.  
  
The pain! The unbarable pain!  
  
Skywise cried out again. He could feel the skin coming off his arms, falling thin in the dark one's hands as she pulled, severed and molded.  
  
Pain!  
  
Wings....  
  
he would have,  
  
wings.  
  
Tyldak opened his eyes, and released the wolf savage. He watched as he fell to his knees. Tyldak felt helpless as the wolfling wrapped an arm around his tiny waist in the aftershock of the pain. Tyldak's eyes grew wide as Skywise looked up.  
  
The elf's eyes were clouded with tears, and the way he scowled, almost triumphantly against the pain. He reminded Tyldak of....  
  
himself.  
  
"Wolflng." He mumbled quietly.  
  
"Tyldak, I.." Skywise stopped as Tyldak stood, leapt off the cliff. The stargazer's eyes followed him as he turned gracefully, and flew back to him.  
  
~**Tyldak!**~ The winged one lifted him by his shoulders.  
  
~**Close your eyes, Wolfling.**~ Skywise took a deep breath, then did as he was told. The air hustled past him eagerly. It ruffled his white mane, played with his loose fitting leathers. He gasped in a breath.  
  
~**Softly, Wolfling. You'll black out if you keep gasping like that.**~ Skywise suddenly felt as light as air.  
  
He was free.  
  
Nothing could touch him, hurt him. It didn't matter that he was an orphan. It didn't matter that his blood was no longer as pure as the others.  
  
Cutter!  
  
Skywise's eyes flashed open. He gasped, everything was passing too fast! He didn't recognize this land! Where was Tyldak taking him?  
  
"Tyldak! Where are we going!?" He yelled as he kicked and struggled.  
  
~**Wolfling! Wolfling, I told you to close your eyes!**~ The once glider struggled to hold Skywise. ~**Wolfling, we're almost there.**~ Skywise took a few deep breaths, and reached up to grab hold of Tyldak's ankles as he felt him struggling to lift his weight. He closed his eyes, but felt his feet brush solid ground as he did. He kept his knees from buckling as Tyldak released him. His eyes were still closed.  
  
~**Now, Wolfling, hold still, and open your eyes.**~  
  
Skywise did as he was told.  
  
"Uuuhhh," He gasped out a shakey breath, and wrapped his arms around himself. He had never been this high before. Not even when he'd flown with Aroree all those years ago. The stars were so close. They called to him, they sang.  
  
"Oooooh," Skywise, alone now, fell to his knees.  
  
"Aaaaahhh," He let out a low, soulful howl. He lowered his head, touching his chin to his chest. He wrapped his arms tighter about himself.  
  
The trees, they were so tiny.  
  
He closed his eyes as a breeze picked up.  
  
"Oooooooh." He moaned. His very soul ached.  
  
"Oooh!" He sobbed, and wanted the temptation, the pain to go away. He sat, tears flowing down his face for hours. He dared not look up, he knew that if he did, nothing would stop him from jumping. It made the pain inside so much worse. He didn't look, didn't move, not even as the moons fell before the harsh sun.  
  
~**....ise!**~  
  
A send broke through.  
  
~**Fahr! Fahr! High Ones, please Fahr, answer me!**~  
  
A locksend.  
  
His soulname.  
  
~**T-...Tam..**~ He sent weakly, still unable to move.  
  
~**Fahr! I can't see you, soulbrother! You sound hurt! Fahr!**~  
  
~**Tam..**~ It was all Skywise could send, all he could think... all he could feel.  
  
~**Hang on Fahr, I'm coming soulbrother!**~ Cutter tore through the bushes, desperately. He'd seen Tyldak and Skywise the previous night. He'd seen Tyldak shake Skywise, he'd seen his soulbrother fall.  
  
Felt his pain.  
  
He'd watched, helplessly as the beast, Tyldak had carried him off.  
  
He'd followed all night.  
  
~**Fahr, I can't see you. Help me, Fahr.. Where are you?**~  
  
"Tam!" Skywise yelped.  
  
~**Oh, Fahr! Hang on!**~ Cutter pushed into the bush, and fell roughly to his hands and knees. "Fahr.." He whispered, setting his gaze on his soulbrother. He was hunched over, arms wrapped around himself. Cutter frowned, he was so close to the edge! Damn that Tyldak! Damn that beast!  
  
"Skywise!" Cutter cried, feeling his soul ache. Skywise turned, lifting his head slowly. His snow white hair cut at his face.  
  
~**Tam.. **~ Cutter fell backwards, onto his knees. Skywise's send, hurt.  
  
Cutter looked up at him, a ledge. Oh, a high ledge. He tried desperately to swallow the lump in his throat. The brave chief moved forward slowly on his hands and knees. He felt Skywise's awe-filled, tear brimmed eyes on him the whole time.  
  
~**Fahr, I'm coming.**~ He sent, working up all his courage to not look down.  
  
"Tam!" The wolfrider felt suddenly his soulbrother's hands, pulling, guiding him. Cutter looked up once he'd joined Skywise.  
  
Skywise's eyes burned into his soul.  
  
"Ooh, Tam!" Skywise fell into Cutter's outstretched arms.  
  
"Sush, Fahr..." He breathed, resting his head on the top of Skywise's snowy locks. He began to rock the stargazer back and forth gently.  
  
~**Fair thee well,  
  
Wolfling.**~  
  
  
  
Deticated to my Tam.  
  
You do lift me to the stars, you do. 


End file.
